


can't say no to that face

by loushazza (noblydonedonnanoble)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-03-01 04:58:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2760482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblydonedonnanoble/pseuds/loushazza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry basically tricks Louis into adopting twins because Louis is a gullible sap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	can't say no to that face

**Author's Note:**

  * For [girlwithdemonblood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlwithdemonblood/gifts).



  _I._

               “Hey Lou.”

                The older man peers over his glasses, his gaze stern. “If you’re about to make another pun from some poor kid’s name, I swear I will end you.”

                Harry shakes his head. “No, I just wanna show you one that I found.”

                “Oh, okay.” Louis reaches out his hand, but Harry hesitates, gripping the folder more tightly. “What? I thought you wanted to show me.”

                “I do, but I just… promise you won’t say no right away.”

                As soon as Harry makes this request, Louis raises his eyebrows. “I feel like I’m going to regret this, but if it means that much to you, sure, I promise I’ll give them a chance.”

                “Thank you.” He hands over the manila folder, and Louis takes it.

                He’s only barely glanced at it before he lets out an exasperated, “Harold!”

                “You promised to at least think about it,” Harry reminds him.

                “I know, but we talked about this. We agreed that we wanted to start off with just one, to get a hang of it a little bit first. This… this is twins, Hazza.”

                “Look at their names.”

                Louis does and sighs loudly. “Now I know you must be joking.”

                “Her name’s Louisa.”

                “So I see.”

                “His name is Harold.”

                “I know. And we can’t do it.”

                “But think of it, Lou…” Harry, far from thinking that it’s a bad idea, is already envisioning the Christmas cards, the four of them in matching Christmas jumpers. “Louis, Louisa, Harry, and Harold…”

                Louis just blinks at him. “What if he wants to be called Harry?”

                “You call me Hazza more anyway.”

                A few more moments of silence. “Was there anything else that made you want them besides their names?”

                “The names are enough. It’s a sign. Can’t we just maybe meet them? Please?”

                “I really don’t know about this.”

                Harry’s brow furrows. “Is there really any harm in just… saying hello?”

                “Yes. You’ll want them the second you see them.” And Louis just might want them too.

                But he agrees anyway. After all, he reminds himself, he can look at this rationally and just keep in mind that they want to start off easy. He and Harry can meet the twins and then he can pull for one baby after Harry is satisfied. After all, that’s essentially what he’s there for: to prevent Harry from spontaneously adopting the entire orphanage.

 

 _II._  

               Almost as soon as the nurses enter the room with the baby twins, Louis realizes that he’s made an enormous mistake.

                They are the two most precious babies he’s ever seen.

                “Well shit,” he mutters to himself. But Harry hears him and out of the corner of his eye Louis can see the younger man smirking.

                “Now, Louisa is better with strangers,” one of the nurses warns them. “So if Harold starts bawling, I wouldn’t take it personally. It takes him a while to trust anyone but once he does, he’s an angel.”

                Harry jumps from his seat and walks to the nurse that is standing nearest to him. “She’s beautiful,” he says softly. “Can I hold her?”

                “Of course.”

                Louis pointedly stands and approaches the other nurse, because he knows that Harry will light up as soon as he’s got that baby in his arms and seeing that will make it even more difficult to remind him that they really _should not follow_ this absurd impulse to adopt a set of twins.

                “I’m guessing this is Harold, then,” he says.

                Ignoring Harry’s giggle and declaration of, “Lou, she’s playing with the buttons on my shirt.”

                The nurse says something to Louis but he doesn’t catch it. He blinks down at the little boy, sizing him up. Harold blinks right back.

                “You can hold him, if you like,” the nurse offers, and that Louis certainly hears.

                “Oh no, that’s…” He begins to protest weakly, but Harold is in his arms before he can get out some bull shit excuse.

                For a few moments, it seems as though Harold is contemplating whether he should burst into tears, just as the nurse warned he might. But then he does something that surprises everyone in the room, Louis most of all: he makes a giddy gurgling noise and grins widely.

                “He likes me!” Louis exclaims, not even bothering to mask his delight.

                “Yes, so he does!” the nurse agrees, sounding somewhat bewildered. “He hardly ever acts this way.”

                “Lou’s able to make anyone feel at ease,” Harry declares proudly, and Louis blushes pink as he looks toward his husband, who is giving him a large smile.

                Harold is completely at ease in Louis’ arms; it’s when Louis tries to relinquish him that he begins to scream.

                “It’s fate,” Harry whispers in his ear. And Louis has to concede that maybe he’s right.

 

 _III._  

               It takes Harold nearly a month and a half to finally warm to Harry to the same extent. Until then, Louis must always be the one to go to him if he begins crying in the middle of the night; must always be the one to change him and bathe him and feed him.

                The first time Harry and Harold get through a full meal together, it is the biggest accomplishment in the world. Harry lifts a hand over his head in celebration, raising his voice enough that Louis can hear him from the kitchen: “I think I’ve earned the Harold seal of approval.”

                Louis returns to the room immediately, taking in the sight of Harry and Harold sitting comfortably on the couch together. He smiles and leans down, pressing a fond kiss to Harry’s forehead before joining him on the sofa and shifting Louisa to his other arm so that he and Harry can sit comfortably close. “Glad to hear it, babe. Does that mean you’ll stop using it as an excuse to stay in bed when he wakes up at three in the morning?”

                “Right, I hadn’t thought of that…” A pause. “I lied; Harold doesn’t like me yet after all.”

                “You think you’re pretty funny, don’t you?”

                “I do indeed.”

                Louis smirks and bumps Harry’s shoulder with his own. “Me too. You want to make dinner while I put the twins to bed?”

                “What, just when the two of us have begun to really get on?”

                “Unless you’d rather I do the cooking.”

                “That’s not really the threat it used to be, love.”

                “Maybe we could both put them to bed and then make a late dinner together?”

                Harry lets out a chuckle; they both know very well that when they cook meals together, it turns into Harry trying to cook while Louis distracts him by standing very close, saying crude things, and occasionally fondling his bum.

                “I think that would be perfect.” 


End file.
